How Leeds United man navigated stressful Elland Road start and 'what if' as patience pays off

Moving to Leeds United was not entirely plain sailing for James Justin. The timing of his move from relegated Leicester City could hardly have been more stressful, for a start - his fiancée Laurel gave birth to their second child less than a month before he was announced as an £8m summer signing at Elland Road.

"It was difficult early stages, because my missus had basically just given birth at the time that I was moving up and back and forth," he said. "She was heavily pregnant when it was like 'where are we going to live next season?' So it was quite stressful in the beginning, to be honest."

On the field it was a bit of a waiting game until he could show supporters that he was worth that transfer fee. Prior to the turn of the year he had only played around 160 minutes of Premier League football. But James' only complaint about the past eight months or so is the distance between Leeds and his hometown of Luton.

"Since we've been up here, we've loved it," he said. "The only bad thing about it is we're further away from actual home. People give [Luton] a bad rep but I love it and obviously grew up there and played in the streets so your perception is a bit different to other people's. But everywhere you go as a footballer you kind of have to make a home. And the people up here have been accommodating and really helpful."

And just like things eventually settled down off the field, his move from Leicester began to make more and more sense to everyone else. Since January 1 Justin has started each and every Premier League game, amassed over 1,600 minutes of league action and played at least 45 in every round of the FA Cup as Leeds made it to Wembley. Having to be patient in the beginning wasn't so much of a problem, though he admits it once would have been.

"I think time spent in the game [helps] and I've had two big injuries that have meant I've missed playing time before, so I've got a perspective on things," he said. "I think if it was, I don't know, five years earlier, I would have been chomping at the bit, like, 'why am I not playing? Why am I not playing? Does he not think I'm good enough? Etc.' But I also understood that in the system that we were playing, there was two spots that I could play, and they were both being taken up and they're giving top performances every week, week in and week out. And I just had to wait for my chance, and took it when it came. Obviously throughout a season, it's hard to stay fit for all 38 games so you know you're going to get your chance, it's just how well you take it when you get it."

Justin also had to be patient when he was a kid coming through at Luton Town, before being able to establish himself thanks to someone else's injury. But waiting to get into the Leeds team was arguably harder, even with his positive perspective on the situation.

"At Luton, it was a bit different, because I was very young and a bit naïve, and I was just happy to be like a part of the Luton side, whereas now I want to be playing Premier League regular football and everyone in the in the team does, no matter who you are, and it's difficult," he said. "It's one of the harder things that isn't really spoken about in football, training hard all week to get game time and not being picked. It's a bitter pill to swallow sometimes, but we've got some real grown ups in the dressing room that can understand the way that football works and how it goes."

Once he did establish himself as an undeniable Daniel Farke favourite, Justin's popularity grew with supporters but he insists nothing changed about the way he carried himself in the dressing room.

He told the YEP: "I feel like I've been the same behind the scenes, quite reserved and chilled out off the pitch, but when it comes to on the pitch I try to be a leader and just use my experience to help other players, even though we've got quite an experienced team and everyone's open to to criticism and feedback, and everyone motivates and stuff like that. So yeah, we've got a real good group that gels quite well, and they've obviously recruited well over the summer."

That popularity with the fans was boosted by the defender's recent appearance on the club's official podcast. The relaxed chat was met with numerous observations on how rooted in normality Justin appeared to be. Family helps with that.

"I guess it's just where your interests lie," he told the YEP. "I'm not really interested in [being big time] too much. Obviously, I want to have a nice car, I want to have a nice house, I want to have nice clothes, like everyone does, but it's not really needs. Being at home with my family, my wife-to-be, and then my two kids that brings me back down to earth, because end of the day when everyone gets home, they have to parent the same, and the kids don't know that you're a footballer in the Premier League."

Justin's eldest is three and the youngest is now almost 10 months old. Parents a little longer in the tooth might categorise such a scenario as 'going through it' but Justin grins at the suggestion: "To be honest, we've got lucky with our youngest in terms of sleep. It's definitely a ride, and it's my favourite thing in life, and they're my favourite people as well. It's the greatest blessing that we have. And obviously, when you feel run down some days and you go home, you get smiles and you get cuddles, and it makes you happier. It's a love that no non-parent could describe, to be honest."

As much as Leeds fans have fallen in love with Justin - even many of those who felt the money spent on him should have gone on more attacking talent - he has equally enjoyed the growing relationship. He's not the first to point out that playing in front of them in opposition colours and playing in a Leeds shirt are wildly different experiences.

"I knew that they're a rowdy lot," he said. "Obviously, I played Leeds a couple of times, a couple of seasons ago, lost both times against Leeds we did that season. When you're not Leeds, everyone doesn't like Leeds. Realistically, everyone loves to hate the big boys. I knew a few of the players and the coaches and I'd been around the game, so I kind of knew what it was like, the stature of the club, and how it had been in the past, and the potential for what it could be in the future and getting back to challenging for things - that's the end goal, I assume, of the ownership group. But being on one side of the playing against Leeds and playing for Leeds, the difference is massive, and they do give you that extra couple of percent when you might need it. They're super passionate fans."

Though the season is not yet done, both Justin and Leeds fans can already look back on plenty of happy memories. The win at Old Trafford, the comeback at Elland Road against Liverpool, beating Chelsea at Elland Road and his bicycle kick against Wolves will stand out for most. Chelsea featured in one of the low points too, however, at Wembley. But even that day, which will forever remain a 'what if?' still had its moments that the 28-year-old will remember fondly.

"We know the quality that they have, and any given day they might turn up, or they they might not turn up and this was one of the few times in a season where in the first half we didn't turn up completely, and we were just off, most things were off it," he said. "We made a couple of changes at half-time, and that definitely helped and changing shape, which we're able to do now because we've got so many top players on the bench waiting for their chance but in the second half it was difficult to break them down. And it was just a nearly game. And for it to be in such a big occasion is really disappointing, a bitter pill to swallow, but taking a step back and looking at it - it was a good run in the FA Cup, and hopefully we can replicate it and go one further next year.

"It was the first time that I'd had the experience of [walking out at Wembley] and it was amazing. I knew the Leeds fans were going to rock the place as they usually do wherever we travel and it was a big moment for me personally. I've missed a couple of chances to play at Wembley so it was definitely a special day. But obviously the Premier League at the end of the day is the most important, and that's what we're thinking about."

Three games remain for Justin and Leeds now. Spurs away, Brighton at home and West Ham away. For a player whose season only really got going in earnest in January there might be a longing for things to carry on a bit. That's not the case for Justin.

"I'm ready for a break, to be honest," he said. "It's been obviously a tough season, in terms of getting to where we are to this point. For it to be mathematically confirmed that we've achieved our goal is going to be a big weight off the shoulders. And obviously, even though you're not getting the minutes [to begin with], you still work hard and you still put strain on your legs and mentally you need the reset in the summer. So I would say I'm almost ready for a break. But obviously we've got three, three good chances to get three points in each of the last games."

Though Leeds cannot yet say with mathematical certainty that they have secured Premier League status, it could happen prior to the trip to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday night. They have 43 points and sit 14th. Many have started to look up, rather than down. When Justin looks back, he's happy with the choice he made to come to Elland Road and be part of what was only ever billed as a survival fight.

"I wouldn't say it's been a much-needed change in my career, to be honest, but in terms of getting out of my comfort zone and coming into a club where there's a lot of pressure on how you perform on the pitch and everyone in the city and surrounding areas, everything's Leeds, Leeds, Leeds. So it does give you a bit more pressure, and I've relished it so far, and I'm looking forward to next season."